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Interactive tool to help you figure out whether you want treatment for urinary symptoms from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Provides links to more detailed info on BPH and decision tools for treatment options.

Interactive tool to help you figure out whether you want treatment for urinary symptoms from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Provides links to more detailed info on BPH and decision tools for treatment options.

What does this tool help you learn?

This tool asks about
your urinary symptoms from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and gives you a
score based on how severe your symptoms are. BPH is an enlarged
prostate gland. As the prostate gets bigger, it may
cause problems urinating. Your score on this tool may help you think about if
and how you want to treat the problem.

The tool is based on the American Urological
Association (AUA) Symptom Index.1 The index is also
called the International Prostate Symptom Score.

What does your score mean?

Your score gives you an
idea of how bad your symptoms are. It will fall into one of these
ranges:

Mild (0 to 7)

Moderate (8 to
19)

Severe (20 to 35)

By itself, your score does not mean that you do or do not
need treatment. But it is a useful way for you and your doctor to look at and
talk about your symptoms and watch them over time.

Men differ in
how bothered they are by urination problems. One man may not be troubled by his
symptoms at all, and another man—with the same score—may feel that his symptoms
are having a big impact on his life.

What's next?

BPH can be a bother, but it is usually
not a serious health problem. If you are concerned about your symptoms, talk to
your doctor about your options. They may include:

Small changes to your lifestyle and urination
habits, plus regular checkups to make sure that the problem is not changing or
getting worse.

Medicines to help reduce your
symptoms.

Surgery to help correct the problem and reduce your
symptoms.

The main thing that helps you decide if and how to treat
your symptoms is how much the symptoms bother you, not what your score is. To
learn more, see these topics:

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How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.